


Krystal Clear

by BJ_Allen



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 14:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/611001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BJ_Allen/pseuds/BJ_Allen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was a job just like any other, until someone shows up from Simon and River's past. Secrets come out, relationships are tested, and chaos may or may not ensue.<br/>Set post-BDM</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Surprises

This was a job just like any other. They sat in the back corner of a dingy bar, the glow of the lights fighting to filter though the smoke that curled around the ceiling and the dirt that coated every surface, including the light panels and some of the patrons. One of the panels near the bar seemed to be short circuiting, adding a flickering element to the establishment. 

Jayne was a little tetchier than usual, playing with a knife under the table and drinking his alcohol. Mal and Zoe were outwardly more tranquil, but their drinks remained untouched in front of them as they played a game of cards. It really was a job like any other, though, with one blinding exception. Said exception was sitting across from Jayne with his back to the room, looking like he would rather be back on Serenity.

“Remind me again how I work into this… plan,” Simon said, hesitating a moment before the word plan as if doubting its existence.

“Relax, Doctor,” Mal said, dropping a pear card onto the table next to his stack. “High card down,” he said to Zoe before continuing. “It would seem our contact here has smarts. You have smarts. Maybe you two will… you know…” Mal gestured around a moment before finishing. “… relate.”

“Yes, I understand that,” Simon acknowledged, enunciating carefully and frowning. “I’m just having trouble seeing how this will be beneficial to you.”

Zoe stepped in here. “We’re hoping you’ll make her more comfortable. Comfortable contacts make for more honest contacts. She may tell you more about this rebel sect than she might tell, say, Jayne.”

The bigger man scoffed, but made no other comment on this slight to his character. Instead he said, “So we’re taking on another one of these purple-bellies?”

Mal rolled his eyes. “If the sect isn’t on this moon then yes. We going to have a problem?”

Jayne grunted as he brought his stained glass back to his lips. “Nope. Just so long as she stays in her part of the boat, and I’ll stay on mine.”

It would seem that the captain was about to reply, but he was interrupted by the slight figure of the barmaid approaching their table. She wasn’t too tall, and definitely one of the occupants who wasn’t too liberal with the soap. From what they could tell, though, she had either brown or blonde hair, cut off at her chin. Pale blue, almost icy grey eyes danced out from underneath the fringe. Her hands shook as she took up Jayne’s now empty cup and replaced it with both a full one and a hastily scrawled note. She turned away quickly and retreated to behind the bar. Mal took the note and, after looking over it, passed it to Zoe, who gave it to Jayne, who (grudgingly) slid it over to Simon. It read:

_Captain Reynolds:_

_I promised you information. I cannot give it here._

_I will meet you on your boat in an hour._

_I know where it is docked._

_~KC_

_PS Hello, Simon._

Simon paled, and swung his head around to observe their contact only to find that she was no longer behind the bar.

“There something we should know, Doc?” Mal asked, looking from the note to Simon. Rather than voicing a reply, though, the latter merely shook his head in confusion.

“I think it’s about time we ruttin’ git,” Jayne grumbled, emptying the new glass in front of him with one swig. “This place is startin’ to get creepy.”

“Starting?” Zoe questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Well, we’ve made contact,” Mal said. He, too, seemed uneasy. “I say it’s about time to be heading back to Serenity. We can wait for her there, get this sorted out.” He stood, followed closely by Jayne and Zoe. Simon, however, had only just stopped gaping at the note in shock. He stumbled to follow, grabbing the note and glancing around him for one last look at their informant. However, she was still absent.

“Does she have a name?” Simon asked, hurrying to Mal’s side.

“What was that?” Mal said, barely breaking in stride.

“Her name. What is it?”

“Only goes by KC, so far as we know.” Mal replied, then glanced over at Simon. “Why? Do you know her?”

Simon frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t…” Suddenly, he stopped. He was frozen midword, midstride, gazing into the distance. “My God,” he whispered.

Zoe stopped as well, looking back over her shoulder. “What is it?”

When Simon didn’t speak, Mal moved towards him. “I ain’t exactly got a hankering to hang around here much longer, Doctor. So either speak your piece, or get back to Serenity.”

“Back,” Simon said. “I’ll tell you when we get back.”

 

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From the outside, Serenity seemed to indeed be docked peacefully. She gleamed cheerily, neither standing out nor looking shabby around the other ships. Inside, she seemed just as tranquil. The cargo bay was devoid of people. The passenger rooms were also empty, though two of them showed obvious signs of occupation. The crew quarters were as of that moment unoccupied as was the only shuttle still with the ship. It seemed that the other had been launched for the moment. The only two people on the ship were huddled together in Serenity’s engine room.

Kaylee’s feet were sticking out from under the now still mechanism, and the sounds of her clanking about drifted around the room and out into the hall. With a sigh, she pulled herself out of her position and sat up.

“River,” she called as she moved. “Do you have--,”

Kaylee was cut off as a teenage girl flipped back and hung upside down by her knees from one of the many pipes that criss-crossed the ceiling. Her long hair just brushed the metal grating of the floor. She held out a slightly rusting tool.

“Monkey pliers,” she said, beaming. Kaylee just shook her head, also smiling, and took them from River’s outstretched hand.

“Better not let Simon see you like that,” she said, averting her eyes. “You know how he is. So…” Kaylee was blushing now, thinking about her lover.

River rolled her eyes but flipped around until her bare feet were pressed against the cold metal floor. She couldn’t keep up the frown for long, though, and was soon grinning once more.

“What’ve you got in your mind?” Kaylee asked as she stood. She was finding River’s mood infectious and couldn’t stop grinning herself. Thought, that may have been because the others were due back soon…

“She’s coming back,” River said, all matter of fact and cheerful. “Simon will tell you. She’s coming home.”

“Who? Who she?” Kaylee asked, but River already had her back to the young engineer, dancing to the door. “River,” she called, hurrying forward. “Is it Inara?”

“No,” River called sing-song over her shoulder, then added, “Race you to cargo! We can meet them there!” Before Kaylee could protest, the younger girl was off and running. Laughing, Kaylee began to chase after her.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

The others were hurrying to the ship, and before long they were met by River and Kaylee in the cargo bay. As soon as River saw her older brother, her face seemed to light up.

“Krystal’s here!” River crooned, grinning from ear to ear.

Simon paled. “What?” he sputtered. “I… already? She said--,”

“Krystal who?” Kaylee interrupted, looking a touch worried. Simon looked back and forth between the two girls while everyone else looked flummoxed.

“She’s… she’s a…” Simon looked to his sister here, questions all over his face. River rolled her eyes good naturedly.

“She’s not here yet, silly. But you saw her.”

“So, Krystal,” Mal said. He seemed to be grasping for some part of this interaction that made sense. “That’s our contact?”

“Krys,” Simon corrected automatically, speaking in that slow, deliberate way of his. “Yes, that’s who met us in the bar.” Before he could get any further, though, the second shuttle began approaching Serenity.

“Oh, that’s Inara,” River chimed, still sounding overly cheered. “I’ll go set it up for her to get in.” With that, the bright teen dashed towards the cockpit, leaving a group of speechless adults in her wake.

Without taking her eyes from River’s retreating back, Zoe said to Simon, “Your sister is still getting stranger.”

Jayne was the first to break from the revere River had left them in. “Don’t we all know it,” he snorted.

Mal shook his head a bit, and then turned to Simon. “It would seem you’ve got a story to be tellin’ us, Doctor.”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

The crew of Serenity was sitting around the dining table. Simon couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time he had told a story from this vantage point, standing at the head of the table. There were a couple of differences, though. Book and Wash were both gone, and now River sat with the rest of the crew, looking more like herself than she had been in three years. Kaylee sat next to her, though Simon seemed to be deliberately avoiding her gaze, and then Inara. Mal stood behind the three girls, the only one on his feet other than Simon. Zoe and Jayne were on the other side of the table; the latter was snacking on something dehydrated that looked vaguely like fruit while the former merely stared tersely at Simon. With an enraptured audience, he began to speak.

“Her name is Krystal Raine. Krys. She grew up with River and I… she was our best friend.” Simon’s voice had begun to fade. He paused for a moment, but when he began speaking again, his volume had returned to normal. “With any other company, Krys would have been considered intelligent. She wasn’t gifted, but she caught on quickly. The Raine’s were influential, though, and the three of us were thrown together often. It wasn’t surprising that we grew so close.” Another pause. Simon seemed to be collecting his thoughts. “Krys was always more rebellious. She was destined to go into law, like I was to be a doctor. She had only been studying it for a few months when she ran away. River had just started at the Academy.” He nodded to his sister, giving her a chance to speak. However, she seemed content to merely listen, so Simon continued. “I never found out why, and I didn’t hear from her after that. Until now.”

The room was dead silent after he had concluded, and it took Simon a moment to realize that everyone was looking at a point directly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder just as a new voice began to speak.

“Aw, come on, Simon,” Krystal Raine said from the doorway behind him, allowing a faded duffel to fall from her hand to the floor. “You didn’t even tell them the best part.” 


	2. Stories

Mal moved towards the new arrival quickly, looking stern and a bit confused. “Excuse me, miss,” he said. “How exactly--,”

“You left the main hatch open,” Krys interrupted him. This pulled Mal up short for a moment, and as he hesitated, she leaned around him to see River.

“Hey there, Riv,” she said shyly. Seeming oblivious to the tension in the room, River beamed and waved happily. Then, after a pause and a moment to ready herself, she turned once more to the dark haired man still staring at her.

“Hello, Simon.” She seemed nervous now, as if wondering if it had been a lapse of judgment to board the ship.

Hearing himself be addressed seemed to bring Simon around. “Krys,” he acknowledged, inclining his head in her direction.

“So what’s the best part, then?” Jayne asked with his usual overabundance of tact.

When Simon remained silent, River added to the story for the first time. “Simon and Krys were to be married.”

“It was arranged, of course,” Krys added. “We’ve been engaged for, what? Twenty years now?”

“Eighteen,” Simon corrected at the same time that Kaylee exclaimed, “Engaged?”

“I… no!” Simon immediately began backtracking as Kaylee rose from her seat. Krys looked on curiously as everyone else either shook their heads or rolled their eyes. River’s smile finally began to fade as she looked from her brother to Kaylee.

“Not anymore,” Simon finally managed to force out a legible statement. “Of course not, Kaylee. I… I wouldn’t…” He looked to Krys for help.

“Obviously, we’ve called it off,” she supplied smoothly after a moment’s hesitation. “It would appear that neither of us are under our parents’ rule anymore, so there isn’t any reason.” There was a catch at the end of her statement, but it appeared to go unnoticed. Only Inara caught anything off, but she remained impassive.

Kaylee’s expression was no longer hostile, but she still seemed upset. “I’ll be in my bunk, Cap’n,” she said to Mal before retreating down the hall. The silence lay thick after her departure, but only for a moment. Mal was the one to break it.

“Well, now that that’s out, it would seem you’ve got some information for us?”

Krys was careful as she turned to the captain. “Yes. On Osiris there’s a group in need of supplies. Rations, medicines, the general necessities that a smuggling ship has. They can pay, of course.” 

“Aren’t there easier ways to get a hold of these things than to flag down a smuggler on an outer rim moon?” Inara asked.

“Well, yes,” Krys admitted. “But these aren’t exactly the kind of people who can walk into a merchant store and ask for supplies. There’s enough Alliance there to keep them away from the cities.”

Mal nodded a bit, but then stopped and said, “All right, two questions. First, why are you the one out here talking to us? And two, why are you on the rim to begin with when the sect is in the core?”

Krys shrugged. “Same answer to both. I’m the people person, almost like the PR. I was working on starting a sect out here when they sent me a wave saying a Firefly class ship was coming my way that could help us. I was to abandon my position here to lead you to the sect on a supply run, if you were amiable.” Mal’s eyes narrowed, but Zoe jumped in before he could comment.

“Why is this sect even still hiding? We were under the impression that after Miranda, you wouldn’t have to anymore.”

Krys’s eyes darkened. “So were we. The feds on Osiris were of a different opinion, though. We may be more accepted among the people, but the Alliance is still in power. And their guns hurt.”

Finally, it seemed that only one question remained, and Jayne was the one to ask it. “If you’re supposed to be a rebel PR, why the ruttin’ hell are you dressed as a wench?”

Krys shook of the dark veil of the past at his question. “Hey,” she defended jokingly. “Even rebels need day jobs.” After a silent pause, she added, “I’m supposed to be recruiting. I’m not exactly going to be using a fliers campaign tactic.”

Mal nodded slowly as relative silence settled once more on the crew. Simon ducked out with a quiet, “Excuse me.” Krys watched him go, but Mal intercepted her attention.

“It would seem that we’re pushing for Osiris, then,” he said. He looked to River for his next words. “I’ll take her out of the world. You go, be with your friend.”

River lit up at this last statement. It was as if she was glowing, a brightness that was cast around to her friends. Even Jayne smiled, and the captain looked a bit less stoic than usual.

“Wait,” Krys said as the last words caught up with her and clicked inside her mind. “You’re the pilot?”

“Sometimes,” River said as the crowd began to disperse. Inara, however, drew closer to the two girls. River noticed her approaching and said, “This is Inara. She’s our Companion.”

If Krys was surprised, she hid it well. Long impressed decorum took over as she extended her hand and said, “How do you do?” Inara took it gently.

“You’ll have to meet everyone else at dinner,” River continued. “There’s Mal, he’s the captain. Zoe’s first mate. Jayne is…” There was a moment of hesitation before River shrugged and said, “Jayne. Kaylee’s our mechanic; oh, you’re going to love her!” River clasped her hands in front of her and bounced a little. “And, of course, Simon’s the medic.”

“It will take some time to get into deep space,” Inara said. “And we won’t have dinner for another couple of hours. If you would like, you could come clean up in my shuttle.”  
It only took a moment for Krys to respond. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”

 

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The room glowed gently, the light from the panels carefully enveloping everything it touched. There were the colorful hangings on all four walls, the bed covered in bright, cheery blankets, and the pink cake layered dress hanging at the foot of the bed. There was also Kaylee, sitting cross-legged on her coverlet and tinkering with what could conceivably have been part of Serenity. The expression on her face was a strange note of discord in the otherwise peaceful room, with the muted sounds of living drifting down and the quiet tinkling of chimes emitting from the music player. Slowly, though, she seemed to relax into the comforting environment.

This was how Simon found her a moment later. He seemed almost hesitant to descend the ladder into her warm little world. She heard him, though, and as she caught his eye he climbed down the rest of the steps.

Kaylee turned her back to him as he reached the floor, seeming to put all of her attention into the mechanism in her hands. Simon said nothing, instead drawing closer to her quietly and watching her work.

Kaylee was, in the end, the one to break the silence. She turned to him quickly, abandoning all pretense.

“You shoulda told me,” she said, accusing.

Simon barely responded, merely nodding slightly and saying quietly, “I know.”

“I mean,” Kaylee continued as she rose and began pacing about the small bit of floor space in her room. Simon remained still and watched her move. “This is kind of big.”

“I know,” Simon repeated.

“You were engaged! There was a whole nother woman--,”

Simon stopped her here, stepping forward and gently taking her by the arms.

“No, no!” he said quickly. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like, Simon?” Though Kaylee was now standing still, she didn’t seem much more calm.

Simon released Kaylee and sank down onto her bed. After a moment, she followed his lead.

“Honestly,” he said with a sigh. “I haven’t thought about it much since I’ve been on the ship. There was River, at first. But then, there was you. It never even occurred to me that there could be anyone else after that. I had never loved Krys, but you…” Simon paused and looked at Kaylee then, and it seemed that under Simon’s words she was finally softening. “There never could be anyone else,” he finished simply. “I love you.”

At this, Kaylee relaxed back into Simon. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close to him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair.

“Aw, it’s okay. It just took me a bit sideways is all. I’m not angry or nothing, and I don’t hold nothing against her. It’s just good to know everything.” As a new thought occurred to her, she turned quickly to face him. Nuances of worry crossed her features. “This is everything, right? There’s not something else? I’m not going to find out that she’s your cousin or something?”

Simon couldn’t contain laughter as he responded. “No, no. That’s everything.”

“Okay, then.” With a grin, Kaylee curled onto her side and lay back once more, using Simon as a pillow. Simon propped himself up against the wall as he held her, his hand sliding automatically through her hair as he leaned down now and again to press his lips to her forehead. Sometimes she would turn her head and intercept his kisses with some of her own, but for most of it they just relaxed peacefully, enjoying the closeness of the other’s presence. The ship moved on and everyone else continued living, but for now that mattered little to the two in the crews’ quarters. In their warm little bubble of contentment, all that really mattered was each other.

 

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Krys followed Inara out of the dining area a bit tentatively, River trailing behind them. The youngest of the group chattered happily, filling her friend in on the goings on of her life for the last three years. Krys, though still silent, began to relax and smile as they continued through the ship, and by the time they entered Inara’s shuttle most of her hardened exterior seemed to have fallen away.

“Now,” Inara said as River paused in her speech for breath, “let’s see if there really is a human girl beneath all that grime.”

Krys ducked her head, blushing not only from the comment, but also because she only just realized that she was standing in an actual Companion’s workspace. Of course, her particular coloring wasn’t exactly visible.

River reached out carefully and touched her friend’s shoulder. They caught each other’s eye, and suddenly they were embracing. Inara moved away quietly to a corner of her shuttle partitioned off by a red silk screen, leaving the two girls alone.

It took Krys a moment to realize she was crying, tears sliding down her cheeks and leaving dirty spots on River’s white blouse. It almost surprised her to find that River had grown to her height.

River made quiet, comforting noises, her eyes welling as well. She knew that her friend’s tears were stemming from joy, but she still whispered, “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” The two remained like that for a moment more, but as Inara returned they separated carefully, still leaning gently on each other to maintain that point of contact.

“It’s just over here,” Inara said, leading the girls over to the small bathing area. River settled herself beside the basin filled with warm and perfumed water. Inara seemed hesitant to leave, but found it unnecessary when Krys smiled shyly and said, “I don’t mind company.” Inara returned her grin and moved to River’s side.

Krys began undressing slowly, or at least attempting to. She began having difficulty when it came to pulling her shirt over her head, so Inara stood and gently assisted her.

“Thank you,” Krys whispered, but she elicited no response from the other two. Both of them were looking instead at the collage of colorful bruises molting Krys’s back. As Krys stripped to her underclothes, more marks were revealed, some old and faded while some seemed new. There were a mirage of scars as well, including what appeared to be a brand mark of an “A” on her left shoulder.

“What happened?” Inara asked as Krys lowered herself to River’s side by the basin. River reached out gently and let her fingers rest on a particularly nasty looking bruise on Krys’s arm.

Krys just shrugged. “I may or may not have gotten in a few tussles during my time out here.” Doubt was evident on Inara’s face, but she voiced none of it. Instead, she asked, “Did you bring much with you onto the ship?”

Krys shook her head, picking up the sponge and beginning to gently wash away the impurities on her arm. Inara was slightly surprised to see that the girl actually had porcelain pale skin.

“I’ve got the necessities in a bag I left in the bridge,” Krys said, looking up to Inara. River caught the idea of Inara’s thoughts and was beaming again. Krys didn’t notice the change in her friend’s disposition and continued, “Just some clothing, a couple of prized possessions.” After a moment, she added, “A toothbrush.”

The barest hint of a smile touched Inara’s face. “Well,” she said. “You are free to borrow my things while you’re with us. I believe that we’re about the same size.”

Though River looked excited with this prospect, Krys seemed nervous. “Don’t worry,” River chimed, immediately picking out the source of her friend’s anxiety. “I’ll help Inara pick out something you’ll like.” With her fears of wearing Companion-style clothing put slightly to rest, Krys returned to her washing. Inara quietly ducked back into the main area of the shuttle with River close behind. They looked through some of Inara’s less ostentatious things, finally coming to a decision on a simple midnight blue silk dress that would fall to just below Krys’s knees.

While they looked through the clothing, Krys finished cleaning up, even going so far as to wash her hair. It turned out to be blonde rather than the dull brown it had appeared to be. She toweled off carefully and tussled her hair until it was mostly dry. Finally, she came out from behind the protection of the screen, still clad only in underclothes. River’s smile grew and she hugged Krys again, for the girl before her finally looked like her friend. Inara, however, noticed something else. Many of the bruises were more prominent without the concealing filth, and a few lacerations had been revealed. She moved gracefully to one of her tables where she grabbed some non-descript jars.

“Healing balms,” Inara answered to the questioning looks of the two girls. Krys nodded and reached for the jars.

“Oh, let Inara do that,” River said, pushing Krys down into a sitting position on the floor. “Can I play with your hair? Please?”

Krys looked to Inara to make sure this was okay. With a smile and a nod from the latter, Krys laughed and acquiesced. River took a brush that Inara held out and began gently working through the damp tangles. Krys helped Inara with the balm, spreading it over various parts of her arms and legs.

Inara struck up conversation. “Simon said that you three have known each other for most of your lives.” Krys nodded, careful not to pull at her hair that River was still fiddling with.

“As long as I can remember,” she intoned. “There was this once,” she said, smiling. River grinned as well, already knowing what story was coming. “I was probably only about ten. The three of us were venturing around the Tam’s yard when we came across this pond. We swore no one else knew about it, and that it was just our secret. Turns out it used to be a well or something that just overflowed. It was pretty much forgotten. Anyway, we were goofing around and I got the bright idea to find a rope and swing into the water like they did in the old books.” Krys rolled her eyes at the memory but never stopped smiling. “Even though Riv was the youngest she was the only one able to tie the rope up in the tree. She didn’t even climb down; she just jumped into the water from up there. I was next, and needless to say it didn’t go over so well. I slid straight off the rope,” She clapped her hands together in a sliding motion to demonstrate. “And completely nailed my head on the bank. Simon was there, though. Right there.” Krys lowered her hands, watching as she folded them in her lap. Her eyes seemed to soften without permission, as did River’s expression. “He took me back to the house, helped me get better. It really just seemed,” Krys shook her head, returning her gaze to the room in general as her now smooth hair slid from River’s still fingers. “I guess when someone’s carrying you half conscious across a lawn, it makes sense that they seem to be the only thing around.”

With the conclusion of her story, Krys carefully stood and stretched gently, testing her limbs. Inara took the dress from the bed as River poked around in some of the hairpins on Inara’s table. As Inara helped slide the clothing over the blonde’s head, she said, “So, how long after that was it before you fell in love with Simon?”

Krys spun around, getting tangled in the dress’s arm hole. “Of course not!” she exclaimed, then realized her mistake. “I mean—,” she stuttered, but River interrupted before she made it further.

“Only a couple of years,” she said, very matter-of-factlike. “It was very romantic.”

Krys stared, agape, at both other women. Inara saved her from speech while gently straightening out the dress. “I don’t think it’s very apparent to the others. They all believe that the romance is behind you, and him. It doesn’t have to stay that way, but I believe it would be prudent to leave it in the past as much as possible. He is happy with Kaylee now.”

“Of course,” Krys muttered as the dress fell around her properly. “I would never try to… disrupt his life now. I’m here for the job.” River approached carefully after finally finding the clip she was looking for.

While sliding it into Krys’s hair, she said quietly, “You can stay, you know. You shouldn’t go away just because of Simon.”

“Oh, Riv.” Krys slid her arms around her best friend once more. “I’ll be here for a little bit. Don’t worry. I’ll never abandon you like that again.”

The three stood quietly, a peaceful tableau. Soon, though, a knock on the shuttle door interrupted the scene.

Mal’s voice entered the room, echoing through the shuttle port. “Chow’s up,” he declared before retreating just as suddenly as he had come. 


	3. Introductions

The dining area was becoming slowly populated. Simon and Kaylee entered first, moving around the kitchen preparing dinner while occasionally distracting themselves with more pleasant undertakings. Mal and Zoe came in next from the general direction of the cockpit. Though Zoe stayed and began setting places at the table, Mal lingered only long enough to confirm dinner was indeed almost ready before exiting the opposite direction of his entrance. On his way out he passed Jayne and they exchanged a silent nod of greeting before continuing on their separate courses. Jayne grabbed himself a drink and quiet conversation began to lull around the room. There wasn’t much in the way of speaking, but there was a sound that felt of occupied space and of companionship.

By the time Mal returned with River, Inara, and Krys just behind him, dinner was set out and Jayne and Zoe were discussing guns.

“I’m not saying nothing against the newer Raz-A.C.s,” Jayne insisted, tilting his glass towards Zoe to make a point. “They just don’t got flair, is all. I like something with a bit of a…” Jayne trailed off, his eyes turning and focusing on the group entering the room. His glance immediately caught Krys, and it took him a moment to place her as the dirty barmaid who had boarded the ship. The clip holding her hair away from her face glittered subtly in the light, and Inara’s dark blue apparel was much more complimentary to Krys’s figure than her wench’s garb. 

“Kick,” Jayne finished absently, setting his drink onto the table without taking much notice of it. Jayne’s flighty attention was not the only one fixed on the newcomer. The earlier comfortable noises seemed to have dulled as they all took stock of the figure standing just inside the door. While the sleeveless dress may have been good for her general appearance, it also showed the worst of the marks on her arms and legs, though it thankfully covered the worst of the scars and the brand on her shoulder. Mal, Zoe, and Jayne were able to look past these without much recognition and take in the rest of the girl, but both Kaylee and Simon paused.

The latter’s eyes darkened, but his voice was still fairly light as he said, “I can take a look at those, if you’d like.”

Krys kept her eyes averted and matched his tone when she answered. “That’s all right, Simon. Inara is looking after me.” Simon frowned. He would still feel better if he was able to do a full physical, but he felt the time to press the subject was not then.

It seemed that the time for scrutiny had ended, and everyone began moving about once more. To everyone’s utter shock (and to River’s amusement), Jayne stumbled to his feet and pulled a chair away from the table for their guest. Krys, not realizing that this behavior was out of the ordinary, smiled at him and said, “Thank you…” She paused and let her sentence fall away, looking to River.

“Oh, right!” the younger one exclaimed. “This is Jayne.” She gestured to the man beside Krys, who looked at him and raised an eyebrow before River continued. “That’s Zoe, and this is Kaylee.” At the last part, River rested her hand on Kaylee’s shoulder. Krys gave a cordial nod to each as they acknowledged their names. “And,” River finished, “You know Simon and the captain.”

“That I do,” Krys agreed, looking at everyone. “Evening, folks.” Everyone murmured replies and people began, one by one, to seat themselves around the table. Krys carefully slid next to River in the seat indicated to her by Jayne. The mood seemed tense, but River was like a bridge between Krys and the other occupants. Though she was most likely more aware of the apprehensive atmosphere than anyone else, she was skilled at ignoring it. Her words flowed easily and took the edge off of everything else.

“Do you remember,” she eventually chirped to Simon, “the night that you and Kaylee first—,”

Until this moment, Simon had spent most of the meal listening to his sister distantly while playing with Kaylee’s fingers under the table and staring blankly at his food. At this point, though, he looked up in shock and dropped his fork with a clatter.

“River!” he interrupted quickly, the color rising in his face. “I really don’t think that now is the best time to be discussing this. Or… ever.”

“Aw, come on now, Doc,” Jayne chuckled. “I think your sis is getting to something good here.” Still smiling, he turned to Krys, who was beginning to blush herself. “Maybe you could tell us. Has he always had a stick up his you-know--,”

Jayne stopped here as Krys began sputtering on her drink. River patted her carefully on the back, concern warring with amusement as the dominant emotion playing across her face. Krys brought an arm up to cover her mouth, her coloring now deep enough to rival Simon’s.

Without warning, a brown paste flew across the table and landed with a wet splat in Jayne’s locks, the castoff spraying everyone in the vicinity.

“Now, will you knock that off?” Kaylee said sweetly, the same colored food dripping from one of her hands. Everything was utterly still for a moment, with Krys looking wide eyed from Kaylee to Jayne, who was just sitting there. Eventually, rolling his eyes, he reached for something that could plausibly be a roll. After pegging Kaylee with one, he mopped the foodstuff out of his hair with another and snacked on it.

“I do believe that that’s enough of this storyline,” Mal said firmly but with a smile as a general order was restored to the table. “River, could you check on everything up front before hitting the sack?”

“Sure!” River stood quickly, and Krys followed her example more slowly before realizing that her presence in the cockpit may not be allowed. She looked to the captain, questioning.

“May I…” she trailed off, indicating after River.

After a moment, Mal answered, “Go on ahead. Just don’t be touching nothing ‘less she tells you to.”

“Of course.” Krys inclined her head towards Mal before smiling at everyone else and exiting after her friend.

The departure of the two girls seemed to induce movement in some of the others. Inara slipped out quietly as Simon spoke.

“I’m going to go check the infirmary… see what we’re low on.” Kaylee stood to follow him and the two also took their leave.

Mal only hesitated a moment in the silence before saying bluntly, “She’s lying.”

This caught Jayne’s attention, and he asked indignantly, “What about?” at the same time that Zoe said, “I caught it too.”

“Well,” Jayne grumbled, “This is a buncha--,”

“Jayne.” Mal’s sharp interruption cut off Jayne’s Chinese expletive. The caption eyed the latter before continuing to both Jayne and Zoe, “I don’t think she means us any harm, but she’s hiding something.”

“I could, you know, persuade her to tell me,” Jayne suggested hopefully. “Take one for the team and all.”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “We’re not trying to scare her off the ship, Jayne.”

“Also,” this came from Mal, “She’s no idiot. If you’re going to be poking around, don’t let her know it.”

“And he’s going to use his subtle prowess to do this?” Zoe asked. When she received no response, she continued, “Oh, yeah. This’ll go great.”

Mal sighed. “No need to get hasty. Jayne, keep your thoughts to yourself for now. Let’s not spook her.”

Dejected, Jayne slumped in his seat.

“Should we say something to the others?” Zoe inquired.

“No.” Mal shook his head. “No need to worry them. Plus, if they knew it would get around to her at some point. Though I would bet that River knows too. If it’s anything too bad, she’ll tell us.”

“You’re staking a lot on the common sense of a girl who was crazy but few months ago,” Jayne growled.

“You’re just jealous because you don’t have any,” Zoe muttered.

Mal ignored his first mate. “Yes,” he agreed. “But she’s part of my crew. I trust her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jayne grumbled as he stood. On his way out he added, “Don’t got nothing personal against the girl. Just don’t think any of us look too good in red.”


End file.
